New hospital opens in Fitzroy Crossing

20/2/08
Fitzroy Valley residents can now access high-quality public and indigenous health services from modern facilities at a single location with the opening of the new $15.7million Fitzroy Crossing Hospital.
Health Minister Jim McGinty said the new hospital was part of a $100million plus State Government commitment to re-build or upgrade every existing hospital in the Kimberley region.
"The new co-located hospital and Nindilingarri Cultural Health Service will boost hospital services and indigenous health care for the Kimberley town and almost 40 outlying communities," Mr McGinty said.
"The Commonwealth contributed $3.5million to build the new health service alongside the hospital. The State Government is committed to continuing to work with the Commonwealth to improve health care services in the Kimberley, particularly in the area of indigenous health care.
"The new hospital replaces the old eight-bed facility and includes 12 acute inpatient beds, two boarder beds, emergency care, primary health and public dental services.
"The new emergency department has two treatment bays, a dedicated resuscitation room and five consulting rooms for outpatient clinics. This is significantly larger than the old ED, which had only one treatment bay and two consulting rooms.
"The new rooms will be used to provide GP consultations and appointments with visiting specialists in areas including cardiology, orthopaedics, paediatric, ophthalmology, obstetric and mental health.
"The hospital is staffed with four doctors and 15 nurses, with the recruitment of the fourth permanent doctor currently under way. In addition, 13 primary health staff, including nine community health nurses, will also provide services to the Fitzroy community from the hospital.
"The old hospital's one-chair dental clinic has been replaced with a two-chair facility and a full-time dentist and dental clinic assistant will now be recruited to re-establish a high quality dental service to the community.
"An undercover ambulance entry, mortuary with a private grieving courtyard and a transit lounge where patients can rest before travelling to other health services or outlying communities are also new features at the hospital."
The Minister said another key feature of the new facility was the relocation of the Nindilingarri Cultural Health Service to a new building adjoining the hospital.
"This will improve access to health services for the indigenous population by enabling their primary and acute health care needs to be met in the one, convenient and culturally appropriate location," he said.
"It also means that the clinical services offered at the hospital can work closely with the primary health and education programs run by the Nindilingarri Cultural Health Service.
"This partnership will significantly benefit the local indigenous people of Fitzroy Crossing and the almost 40 surrounding communities who make up 82 per cent of the population of the Fitzroy Valley."
Mr McGinty said more than $100million was being spent to upgrade health facilities and staff accommodation within the Kimberley region including:

• $53.35million for major upgrades to Broome Hospital, which will see it become the regional resource centre for the Kimberley;
• $14.4million to upgrade Derby Hospital and dental clinic (completed in September last year);
• $6.8million to upgrade Kununurra Hospital and provide a new public dental clinic (completed in October last year);
• $8.7million for the new Halls Creek Hospital (completed in 2006);
• $2million to build a high care residential aged care facility in Kununurra (completed in 2005);
• $4.5million to upgrade health services at Wyndham including the hospital; and
• upgrades to staff accommodation across the region.

"We are committed to providing first-class health care to all Western Australians across the State," the Minister said.
"This is a significant investment that will provide the people of Fitzroy Valley with a culturally appropriate, state-of-the-art health service that will meet the needs of the community well into the future."
Mr McGinty said he was also pleased that the new Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Centre being provided by the Nindilingarri Cultural Health Service was now up and running.
"The community expressed a strong desire to try a different response to alcohol and drug issues and agreed to close the existing sobering-up service and replace it with the new treatment and prevention services," he said.
"The new alcohol and drug service is currently staffed by two full-time prevention staff members. In March, they will be joined by a full-time drug and alcohol treatment officer.
"This new approach represents a partnership between the Drug and Alcohol Office, Nindlingarri Cultural Health Services, the Kimberley Division of General Practice and the WA Country Health Service."
Other visiting services that will be accommodated in the new Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Centre include a Community Drug Service Team worker, a mental health worker and a psychiatrist.
Minister's office - 9422 3000